LOS ANGELES — The mission is no longer whispered inside the clubhouse. It is out in the open, daring the rest of baseball to stop it. The Los Angeles Dodgers and two-way phenomenon Shohei Ohtani are entering the 2026 MLB season with history squarely in their sights: becoming the first franchise to win three consecutive World Series titles since the legendary New York Yankees dynasty that ruled the sport from 1998 through 2000.

And this time, Ohtani is not hiding his personal ambition behind team clichés. He has a target. He has a standard. And he has made it clear what must happen first.

“If at the end, the result is getting a Cy Young, that’s great,” Ohtani said calmly, fully aware of the weight behind those words. “Getting a Cy Young means being able to throw more innings and being able to pitch throughout the whole season, so if that’s the end result, that’s a good sign for me. What I’m more focused on is just being healthy the whole year.”

Healthy. That single word may determine whether 2026 becomes another championship parade in Los Angeles — or a season of what-ifs.

The Dodgers once again dominated the offseason headlines, reinforcing an already star-studded roster by landing superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker in free agency. The move sent a chilling message across the league: the champions are not satisfied. While other teams recalibrate and trim payroll, Los Angeles continues to stack elite talent, fueling renewed debate around competitive balance and whispers about a potential salary cap push from rival owners.

But even with Tucker now anchoring the outfield and the roster brimming with All-Star caliber depth, the Dodgers’ ceiling ultimately rises and falls with Ohtani’s durability.

The 2025 campaign offered a tantalizing glimpse of what a near-complete Ohtani season looks like in Dodger blue. In 158 games, he launched 55 home runs, drove in 102 runs, stole 20 bases, and posted a staggering .282/.392/.622 slash line. At the plate, he was a relentless force — a nightly threat capable of flipping a game with one swing. On the mound, despite limited usage, he made 14 starts, delivering a 2.87 ERA across 47 innings with a sharp 6.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Those numbers are extraordinary by any standard. Combined, they border on myth.

Across eight MLB seasons, Ohtani has rewritten expectations for what one player can be. He has crushed 280 career home runs, tallied 669 RBI, and swiped 165 bases while maintaining a .282/.374/.582 career slash line. As a pitcher, he has logged 100 starts, compiling a 39-20 record with a 3.00 ERA and more than 528 innings of work. There are Hall of Fame hitters who never approach that offensive output. There are frontline aces who never sustain that level of pitching dominance. Ohtani continues to do both — simultaneously.

And yet, for all the accolades, the MVP awards, and the global superstardom, there remains an unspoken frustration. Injuries have interrupted his rhythm before. Arm concerns have limited innings. Carefully managed workloads have at times prevented him from fully unleashing his two-way arsenal over an entire season.

That is why his 2026 declaration resonates so loudly. The Cy Young is not merely a trophy in his mind. It is a symbol. If he is in contention for it, it means he stayed on the mound deep into September. It means he carried a starter’s workload. It means his body held up under the most demanding role in modern sports.

And if that happens, the rest of baseball may be in serious trouble.

On paper, the Dodgers already appear untouchable. Their lineup stretches from leadoff to nine with power, patience, and postseason experience. Their rotation, when fully intact, blends star power with depth. Adding Tucker only intensifies the pressure opposing pitchers will feel every night.

But Ohtani at full throttle — as a 30-plus start pitcher and 40-plus home run hitter — transforms “favorite” into “inevitable.”

The three-peat conversation is no longer theoretical. It is tangible. The Yankees’ late-90s dominance has stood alone for more than two decades, a benchmark many believed would remain untouched in an era of expanded playoffs and heightened parity. Yet here stand the Dodgers, armed with financial muscle, scouting precision, and perhaps the most singular talent the sport has ever seen.

Of course, history is unforgiving. Baseball seasons are marathons littered with unpredictability. A strained elbow, a mistimed swing, a single misstep can shift everything. Ohtani knows this better than anyone.

That is why his biggest goal is deceptively simple. Not 50 home runs. Not 200 strikeouts. Not headlines.

Health.

If he achieves it, the Cy Young may follow. And if that happens, October could once again belong to Los Angeles.

Only time will reveal whether 2026 becomes the crowning chapter of Ohtani’s already extraordinary career. But one thing is certain: he has set the bar at its highest point yet — and he is daring the baseball world to keep up.